Bill to make clergy report child abuse advances in Washington

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Washington state Capitol (Jerry Cornfield/Washington State Standard)

A Democratic-led effort to require clergy members in Washington to report child abuse or neglect, even when it is disclosed in confession, is moving closer to being voted on in both chambers of the state Legislature.

On Friday, the House Early Learning & Human Services Committee passed House Bill 1211 and sent it to the Rules Committee, the last stop before a potential floor vote. The panel’s seven Democrats and one Republican, Rep. Joshua Penner, of Orting, approved the legislation. Three Republicans opposed the bill.

The decision came two days after the Democratic-controlled Senate Human Services Committee approved Senate Bill 5375, the companion to the House legislation, on a party-line vote. It is now in the Senate Rules Committee awaiting action by the full Senate.

Lawmakers have pursued variations of the bill in each of the last three sessions.

Democrats on the Human Services Committee voted down an amendment from Sen. Leonard Christian, R-Spokane Valley, that mirrored legislation that failed in the Senate last year.

Under the amendment, if a religious leader learned only in confession that a child may have been abused, they do not have to tell authorities. If they hear of it in a confession and also in another setting when they are not carrying out their work as a religious leader, they have a “duty to warn”  authorities if they believe a child is at imminent risk.

Washington is one of a handful of states without a law making clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect. 

State law requires teachers, police, registered nurses, social service counselors and members of several other professions to report to law enforcement or the state Department of Children, Youth and Families if they have reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect.

Both bills would add clergy to the list and remove their privilege to keep information shared in penitent communications confidential. They would retain the privilege to not be compelled to testify in a court case or criminal proceeding.

The Washington State Catholic Conference opposes the legislation.

This post was originally authored and published by Jerry Cornfield from Washington State Standard via RSS Feed. Join today to get your news feed on Nationwide Report®.